Interrupting means in bed and platen printing presses



E. A. Gl LLlS April 16, 1957 INTERRUPTING MEANS IN BED AND PLATEN PRINTING PRESSES Filed Jan. 10, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

fONU/VDA 6144/6 BY (QM W Arm/var E. A. GlLLlS April 16, 195 7 INTERRUPTING MEANS IN BED AND PLATEN PRINTING PRESSES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 10, 1955 E. A. GlLLl S A i'il 16, 1957 INTEJRRUPTING MEANS IN BED AND PLATEN PRINTING PRES-SEES 3 Shecs-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 10, 1955 Oil/b INVENTOR. {Ono/v0 A G/L A A5 ii States Patent O 2,7as,7se

ENTERRUFlh G It EEANS 1N nun AND PLATEN rnuvrnvo ranssns Edmund A. Giliis, Paramus, N. 3., assignor to The Cronite Co'., Inc North Bergen, N. 3., a corporation of New York Application January 19, 1955, Serial No. 480,773.

10 laims. (Oi. 191-322) This invention relates to presses for printing engraved stationery.

One object of this invention is to provide mechanism for automatically and instantaneously stopping the operation of the press in response to an electrical impulse.

Most present power driven die stamping presses (in the United States) operate from a constantly rotating motor driven fly wheel. When such press is in operation for printing engraved stationery the operator feeds the sheets as the press runs continuously. Operation has heretofore been stopped or started by manually operating a shifter handle which operates to engage and disengage the press mechanism to or from the motor driven fly wheel by means of a conventional type of friction clutch. This start and stop mechanism usually works in connection with a brake. In starting, movement of the shifter handle releases the brake in advance of engagement of the clutch. In stopping, immediately following disengagement of the clutch, the action of the shifter handle serves to apply the brake to the press mechanism. The purpose of the brake is to stop the press immediately and to prevent continuance of movement due to inertia in the press mechanism.

The automatic stopping mechanism in accordance with the present invention actuates the same shifter handle commonly provided on the press as original equipment for actuating the clutch and brake.

Such presses have also been operated in conjunction with conventional pile feeders which offer sheets to be engraved to a system of tapes and rollers. 'Thesheet's pass through successive stages in synchronization with the press cycle, each stage occurring once for each press cycle. Usually there are three stages of feedingthe sheets to the press. In stage 1, a sheet is lifted from a pile of stock by suction operated sucker nozzles and delivered to belts. These belts move the sheets forwardly and constitute stage number 2. From stagenumber 2, the sheets are moved at right angles or sideways through stage number 3 to the press to receive the imprint. All three stages operate simultaneously. 7

Another object of the present invention is to provide improved means for stopp ng the feed of sheets'from stage 1 to stage 2 simultaneously with the automatic stopping of the operation of the press.

"In the conventional pile-feeder, in feeding stage numher '2, a brass plate is provided over 'which'the sheet passes, A feeler contacts this brass plate. However, whenthe sheet passes over thebrass plate, contacthe; tween the feeler and the brass plate is-"broken. Infac cordance with the present invention a circuit is so set up that'current is passed therethrough only when the ram of the printing press is in the up position and 'prior t'o its coming down for the printing operation. However, when the ram is up, a sheet (through 'synch'ronfizatipn) should 'be interposed between 'the lrass' plate and the, feeler, so that the current is not completed throu 'gl itthe circuit. 'However, if" a" sheet 'is netlocatedover'the brass plate when the rain is' up, as 'f'or' examplewhen the supply of sheets is depleted, current does pass through the circuit to operate the mechanism for automatically stopping the operation of the printing press, to thereby prevent the ram from coming down and striking the engraved plate without a sheet of paper being thereon. The importance of stopping the operation is to prevent a con.- dition which might damage the machine and cause considerable trouble to rectify.'

Still another object of the present invention is to provide in apparatus of the character described, highly improved means to brake the suction to the suckers which feed the sheets from stage 1 to stage 2 automatcially upon operating the stopping mechanism for the printing press.

Still a. furhter object of this invention is to provide automatic stopping means of the character described which'will nevertheless permit manual stopping of the machine by manual movement of the shifter handle.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a machine of the character described, provided with means for starting the machine manually after it has been stopped automatically or manually.

While the invention has been described above as being particularly related to a press for printing engraved star tionery, and provided with automatic sheet feeding means, it will be understood that the invention encompasses the provision of means for instantaneously stopping the press operation in response to any electrical impulse. One application of such an electrical impulse could be em} bodied in mechanism for tripping a conventional shield, actuating a switch in response to the proximity of an operators hands to. a haza-rd area, or perhaps a beam of light focused on a photo-electric cell could be inter; rupted to crease a necessary electrical impulse for op: crating the automatic means for stopping the machine.

Still another object of this invention is to provide. aj, rugged and durable construction of the character as. scribed, which shall be relatively inexpensivev to manufacture, which shall be sure and positive in operation, and practical and efficient to a high degree in use. i w

Other objects and advantages of the present invention are inherent in the structure claimed and disclosedor will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the.

- detailed description proceeds in connectionwith the as:

companying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is atop plan'view illustrating sheet feeding means for a press for printing engraved stationery em; bodying the invention; 1 V i i Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on line 22;of Fig. 1; w H V Fig. 3 is a partial vertical view illustrating part of a printing press embodying the invention;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal view illustrating motor drive. for the printing press shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on IineS S of Fig. '1 and illustrating the feeler contacting the brass plate;

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 but showing a sheet. interposed between the feeler and the brass plate; I

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional View taken on line 7-7 of Fig. '4 and illustrating the electric pulse-synchronizing mechanism of passingan electric pulse through the feeler whejii'th eramf-on the printing press is in its up? posi tion and'at the time when a sheet should be interposed between the feeler and the brass plate as illustrated Fig. 6 of the drawing; V i

Fig. 8 is anelevational sectional view illustrating the control mechanism for the shifter handle which controls the operation "of the brake andclu tch mechanism for the pasringpjr'ess; i Fig; 9 is a cross sectional view taken on line 9 9 ;of Fig. 8, and, 7

Fig. is a wiring diagram of the apparatus embodying the invention.

Referring now in detail to the drawings,

. 10 designates a printing press for printingengraved stationery. This press may be of conventionalconstruction and only the parts thereof necessary for describing the invention have been shown, 7

' The press10 comprises a frame 11 supporting a horizontal shaft 12 connected by clutch 13 to a shaft 14 rotated by an electric motor 15. The clutch l3 may comprise a clutch element 16 fixed to the shaft 12, and a clutch element 17 slidable on shaft 14 and rotatable there- 'with and movable into and out of engagement with the clutch element 16 by means of a fork 18. The fork 18 is atone end of a lever 19 pivoted on a fulcrum 20. The other. end of the lever is pivoted as at 21 to a strap or connecting rod 22. The opposite end of the connecting rod 22 is pivoted as at 23 tom intermediate portion of a shifter handle 24 (see Fig. 8). The shifter handle is pivoted to the frame 11 as at 25. Connected tothe strap 22 in any suitable manner is a bar 26 provided with any suitable means, such as a cam 27, to operate a brake 29 for braking the rotation of the shaft 12 by pressing against a collar 30 thereon. Although one form of brake and clutch has been shown, it will be understood that when the shifter handle 24, Fig. 8, is moved to the right for rotation in a counter-clockwise direction, strap or connecting rod 22 will first disconnect the usual clutch between the motor and the press, and then apply the usual brake, to quickly stop the operation of the press, and when said'shifter handle 24 is swung in a clockwise direction, the brake will first be released and then the clutch will be again engaged to immediately start the operation of the press.

As shown in Fig. 4, there is fixed to the shaft 12 an eccentric connected by a connecting rod 36 as at 37 to the ram 38. On the frame 11 is mounted the usual engraved plate 39. The sheets to be printed are fed to the plate 39 by usual means so that when the ram comes down, the sheet will be printed. On shaft 12 is a gear 40 for operating other parts of a printing press. The pile feeder means for feeding the sheets to the printing press are illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing. This sheet feed means may be of conventional construction and comprises a stage No. l which comprises means to support the stack S of sheets 41. On the machine are a plurality of suckers 42 connected through conduits 43 to an air pump 44. The air pump exhausts air to create a vacuum at the sucker nozzles 46 whicheverlie the stack S. On each conduit 43 is a branch 47 closed by a valve 48 and adapted to be opened upon energizetion of solenoid 50. When the solenoid 50 is energized, valve 48 is opened, breaking the vacuum or suction in the suckers 42 so that papers cannot be lifted by movement of these suckers.

The paper feed mechanism comprises a support or frame 52 on which is mounted a shaft 53 which is caused to oscillate in any suitable manner not shown. Fixed to the shaft 53, are arms 54, carrying a shaft 55. Fixed to the shaft 55 are arms 56, carrying the suckers 42, three such suckers being shown. Also, fixed to the shaft 55 are upwardly extending arms 57 provided with rollers 58 engaging fixed cams 59. When the arms 54 are swung in a clockwise direction, looking at Fig. 2 of the drawing, the suckers will first be lifted to lift the topmost sheet 41 off the stack S. Thereafter, contact of the rollers 53 with the cams-59 will cause rotation of the shaft 55 in a counter-clockwise direction, to cause the lifted sheet 41 to be moved to the right and onto aroller 60 likewise mounted on said frame 52. The sheets are thus passed from stage No. l to stage No. 2 described hereinafter.

When the arms 54 oscillate in a counter-clockwise direction, the lower ends of the suckers again move to the left and then the suckers move down to pick up the next sheet.

Stage No. 2 comprises a table top 63 around which move a pair of parallel spaced belts 64. Each belt 64 passes around a roller 65 close to the roller 60 and at one end of the table top 63. Each belt also passes over a roller 66 at the opposite end of the table top 63. Each belt also passes around idlers 67 and 68 located below the table top 63. The belts move in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2. The sheets which are lifted by the suckers 42 and engaged with the roller 60 are passed onto the top runs of the belts 64. These sheets may be pressed downwardly by light strip springs 70, attached to the frame 52 as at 71 and being free at their opposite ends. At the right end of table top 63 and on one side thereof, there is embedded a brass plate 75. The sheet 41 moves onto the plate 75 when it reaches its furthest position on the table top 63.

Fixed on the table top 63, adjacent the plate 75, is a post 76. Fixed to the post is a feeler or feather 77 which is in the form of a conductor spring strip, the lower end of which is curved as at 78 and contacts the top of said plate when no sheet is on said plate. However, when a sheet 41 moves onto the plate, it will be interposed between the plate 75 and the feeler 77. Table top 63 is formed with a cutaway or notch 39 in advance of the plate 75 and adjacent one edge thereof. Within the notch 80 are rollers 81 which cause the sheet 41 which reaches a position overlapping the notch, to be moved on to stage N0. 3. The rollers 81 constantly rotate and are mounted on a shaft 82. Arms 83 are supported by a shaft 84 which is caused to oscillate in any suitable manner to bring the arms alternately to up and down positions. The outer ends of arms 83 are near the rollers 81. The oscillation of the shaft 84 is in synchronization with the oscillation of shaft 53. When the arms 83 are up, the paper is allowed to come over into place overlapping the notch 80 and are held by arms 83 spaced above the roller 81. When the arms 83 are now brought down the sheet 41 will engage the rollers 81 and will be moved by them at right angles to the direction of the belts 64,.

onto belts 85 at stage No. 3 from where they are moved into printing position in a well-known manner (not shown). V

The means for automatically controlling the shifter handle 24 (Figs. 8 and 9) will now be described:

Said means comprises a fixed bracket 9% having a top horizontal wall 91 from one side of which extends downwardly a vertical wall 92. Welded to the underside of wall 91 and to the inner side of wall 92, is a tube 93. The wall 91 is formed with a top longitudinal slot 94. Tube 93 is formed with a slot 95 registering therewith. One end of tube 93 is closed by a suitable plug 96. The other .end of the tube is open. Slidable in tube 93 is a cylindricalplunger 97. impinging upon'the plug 96, and disposed within the tube 93, is a relatively heavy coil compression spring 99. Between the spring 99 and the plunger '97 is a latch spool 100. The spool 100 comprises a stem 101 provided with circular flanges 102 and 103 at the ends thereof. The coil compression spring 99 contacts the flange 102 while the flange 103 may contact one end of the plunger 97. Screwed to the outer end of the plunger 97 is a screw 104 held in adjusted position by not 105. At the outer end of the screw 104 is a fork 106 surrounding the shifter handle 24 below the pivot point 23. Opposite walls of fork 106 are connected by pin 106a. At the lower end of the shifter handle 24 is a hand grasp 107.

On the frame 11 are a pair of fixed stop pins 108 and 109. When the shifter handle 24 is swung to the left manually, to start the machine, the stop pin 108 limits movement of said handle. When the shifter handle 24 is'swung to the right in a manner hereinafter appearing, automatically or-manually to stop the machine, pin 109 limits such movement of the handle.

Wall 9 1-is formed with a pair of upstanding ears 110 on opposite sides of slot- 94 and adjacent one end there-v avsaveo of. The ears 110 are apertured and carry a horizontal transverse pivot pin 111 'Pivoted on pin 111 is a pawl 112 formed atits underside with anotch' 113 and having an outer end 114. Part of the pawl 112 projects through the registered slots 94 and 95. Forwardly of the notch 113 is an upwardly inclined edge 115. Fixed to wall 91 is a post 116 connected by a relatively light coil tension spring 117 to a pin 11% fixed to the upper side of the pawl 112 for biasing the pawl in a counter-clockwise direction, looking at Fig. 8 of the drawing.

in the operating position of the machine, as shown in Fig. 8, the outer edge of the notch '19 of pawl 112 engages fiange 102 to keep it from moving to the right and thus holding the spring 99 in compressed condition. When the pawl 112 is moved upwardly, in the manner to be explained hereinafter, the latch spool 1% is released, and the spring 99 will move the said latch spool to the right, thereby also moving the'plunger 97 to the right and causing the shifter handle to be swung in a counterclockwise direction to stop operation of the machine. It will be noted however, that in the locked position of the latch spool 100, the shifter handle 24 may be operated manually at will to both start and stop the machine. This is true because the plunger is not fixed to the latch spool.

Releasable means is provided for holding the pawl 112 in latch spool locking position. i To this end, there is fixed to wall 91 (see Fig. 8) a post 129 supporting a solenoid 121 provided with an armature 122. Also fixed to the wall 91 is a pair of apertured ears 123 carrying a transverse pivot pin 12%. Pivoted to said pivot pin is a latch 125, the upper end of which is connected by a link'126 to said armature 122. Latch 125 is provided with a finger 127 at its lower end engaging beneath the outer end 114 of the pawl 112. When the solenoid 121 is energized (in the manner hereinafter explained) to move the armature 122 to the right, looking at Fig. 8 of the drawing, latch 125 will be rotated in a clockwise direction to cause finger 127 to lift the pawl 112 and rotate the same in a counter-clockwise direction for releasing the latch spool 10%.

The latch 125 is formed with a lower under-shoulder 129 to engage the upper edge of the outer end 114 of thepawl 112 to retain the pawl in its latch spool locking position. The latch 125 is retained in such locking position by means of a relatively light coil tension spring 130 connecting said latch with the upper end of the post 116. When the solenoid 121 is energized and pawl 112 is released, its outer end will strike an upper undershoulder 1 to m pwa d swin in movement of the pa The spring 117 will retain a slight pressure of the pawl 112 against the end shoulder 131.

On shaft 12 is a earn 135 having a bump 136. The bump 136 is adapted to engage a movable contact 137 and move it against a fixed contact 133 groundedto the chassis as at 140. The switch 147, 148 is closed when the ram 38 of the printing press 19 is moved up after a printing operation.

Mounted on the wall 91 is a bracket 146 on which is mounted a switch 1 .7 adapted to be closed when the latch 125 is swung in a clockwise direction upon energizing the solenoid 121. The switch 137 may comprise a movable contact 148 and a fixed contact 149.

The wiring diagram for the control of the solenoids 121 and 59 will now be described. This wiring diagram is illustrated in Fig. l of the drawing:

In the wiring diagram, the line feed is designated by numerals 150 and 151. The line feed 15%) is connected by wire 152 to the movable contact 137 and by wire 153 to one terminal of the coil of the solenoid 51.. The other terminal of the coil of the solenoid 50 is connected by wire 154 to the movable contact 143. The fixed contact 149 is connected by wire 155 to one terminal of the coil of the solenoid 121. Wire 155 is connected by wire 155 to the feed line 151. The other terminal of the coil of the solenoid 121 is connected by wire 157 to the feeler 77 which contacts the plate "75. Said plate is grounded to the chassis as at 158. m i The operation 'of the device for automatically stopping the machine will now be described: The latch is so synchronized that the bump 136 will close'the switch 137, 138 at the same time that a sheet 41 is fed between the feeler 77 and the plate 75.' Since the sheet is interposed between the feeler and the plate, the circuit will not be complete through the solenoid 121 even though the switch 137, 133 is closed. However, should something go wrong with the sheet feeding mechanism, or should the supply of sheets be depleted and there is no sheet on the plate at the time that the bump 136, on cam closes switch 137, 138, a circuit will be completed through the coil of solenoid 131, feeler 77, plate 75 and switch 137, 138, thus energizing said solenoid and causing the latch 125 to be'swung about the pivot pin 124 for lifting the pawl 112, releasing the latch spool 16%) and moving the shifter handle to the right, looking at Fig. 8, for releasing the clutch 13 and applying the brake 29, thereby stopping the machine while the ram is up and preventing damage to the machine. At the. same time that the latch 125 is actuated, switch 148, 149 will be closed, thereby completing a circuit through solenoid 56 and causing its armature 50a to move to the left, thereby opening the valve 48 through a link connection 59b and breaking the vacuum to the sucker 42 so as to stop feeding any more sheets from stage I to stage 2.

While the invention has been described with respect to a sheet feeding means for controlling an electric impulse, it will be noted that the solenoid 121 can be controlled by any electric impulse. Thus the invention has other applications than the one illustrated. One such other apphcation would be as an adjunct to a safety device where proximity of an operators hands to a hazard area could trip a conventional shield and actuate a switch or interrupt a beam of light focused on a photo-electric cell which wouldin turn transmit the necessary electric inipulse for actuating the solenoid 121.

To again start the machine, it is only necessary to move the shifter handle 24' to the'left, looking at Fig. l0, thereby causing plunger 97 to push the latch spool 160 to the left. The flange 102 will engage the shoulder of the notch 113 to pull the pawl 112 downwardly until the outer end 114 comes beneath the shoulder 129. The circuit to the solenoid 121 may be broken by inserting the sheet between the feeler 77 and the plate 75 or by turning the shaft 12 to the position where the switch 137, 133 is open, thereby permitting the spring 131) to pull the latch 125 in a counter-clockwise direction. As soon as the pawl comes down, the right side of the notch 113 will engage the flange 192 to lock the latch spool 16%. When the switch 148, 149 is open, armature 56a will move to the right to close the valve 48 so that the suckers may again be in operative condition.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given for purposes of illustration only, and that various other embodiments will be apparout to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed below.

I claim:

1. In combination, a printing press comprising a rotary shaft, an electric motor, a drive shaft on the motor, means to clutch the motor shaft to the shaft of the press, means to brake the press shaft, a manually operated shifter handle, means controlled by movement of the handle in one direction for declutching the clutch means applying said brake means, and electrically controlled means to move said shifter handle, said electrically controlled means comprising a fixed tube, a plunger slidable within the tube, means to connect the plunger to the shifter handle, a latch spool within the tube and spring means to push the latch spool against the plunger for moving the latter, a pawl pivoted with respect to the tube and engaging the latch spool to lock it against movement with the spring in compressed condition, a latch pivoted with re,- spect to the tube and having means to retain the pawl in locked condition when the latch is moved in one direction, and said'latch having means to raise the pawl and release the latch spool when said latch is moved in an opposite direction, so that said latch spool will push the plunger to move the shifter handle, a solenoid, and an armature for said solenoid connected to said latch for moving said latch to pawl releasing position when said solenoid is energized.

2. In combination, a tube closed at one end, a member slidable within said tube, a spring interposed between said member and the closed end of the tube, a pawl pivoted to the tube and having means'to releasably engage said member to retain the'same in a fixed position with the spring in compressed condition, a latch pivoted with respect to the tube and rotatable in opposite directions, and having a finger engaging beneath one end of the pawl to release the pawl from said member when said latch is rotated in one direction, to permit the compressed spring to move said member, solenoid means for rotating said latch in said direction, and said latch having means to engage the pawl for retaining said pawl in position for locking said member against movement when said latch is rotated in said opposite direction, means to rotate said latch in said opposite direction.

3. The combination of claim 2, in combination with 'means on said latch for limiting the releasing movement of said pawl.

4. A combination of claim 3, in combination with said spring means to bias the pawl to releasing position, and spring means to urge said latch in said opposite direction.

5. The combination of claim 2, in combination with a motor shaft of a printing press, a driven shaft of said printing press, means for clutching said shafts together, means for braking the driven shaft, and means controlled by movement of said member for declutching said clutch means and applying said brake means.

6. The combination of claim 5, in combination with means automatically feeding sheets to said printing press, means controlled by said sheet feeding means for energizing said solenoid, and means controlled by said latch for controlling operation of said sheet feeding means upon said solenoid being energized.

7. In a press for printing engraved stationery, a ram, means to reciprocate the ram up and down, a driven shaft operatively connected to said reciprocation means, a mo-.

tor shaft, means to clutch the motor shaft to the driven shaft, means for braking the driven shaft, means for declutching said clutch means and actuating said braking means, means to control the last means including a solenoid, sheet feeding means including a metal plate, a metal feeler contacting said plate, means to feed sheets between said feeler and plate, means to connect the metal feeler in series circuit with said solenoid, a switch in series circuit with said solenoid and feeler, and means synchronized with the movement of theram for closing said switch at a predetermined time 'in the cycle of operation of the ram. i

8. The combination of claim 7, said sheet feeding means including suckers engaging the'sheets, means to create vacuum in said suckers, valve meansfor breaking the vacuum in the suckers, a second solenoid for operating said valve, a second switch connected in series circuit with said second solenoid, and means controlled'by the operation of the first solenoid to close the second switch for actuating the second solenoid to break the vacuum to the suckers upon declutching said clutch means and actuating said brake means.

9. In combination, a support, a member slidable on said support, spring means to cause sliding movement of said member, a pawl pivoted to said support and having means to releasably engage said member to retain the same in a fixed position with the spring in compressed condition, a latch pivoted with respect to the support and having means to release the pawl from said member when said latch is rotated in one direction to permit the spring to move said member, solenoid means for rotating said latch in said direction, and said latch having means to engage the pawl for latching said pawl in position for locking said member against movement when said latch is moved in an opposite direction, a plunger slidable on said support independently of said member and adapted to be moved by said member when said member is moved by said spring, a shifter handle, means to connect the plunger to the handle, a driving shaft and a driven shaft, clutch means interposed between said shafts, and means connected to said shifter handle for declutching said clutch means upon moving said shifter handle.

10. The combination of claim 9, in combination with means for braking the driven shaft, and means controlled by said movement of said shifter handle actuating said brake means.

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